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Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

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Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#131

The left’s obsession with cancel culture and conducting archeological digs on past comments, tweets, etc is coming back to bite them. I think removing this guy was the right thing to do, BUT I also think a major company like Google needs to set an example: Something someone tweeted more than ten years ago should no longer be relevant and should be ignored. However until that standard is set as example by a major comp…

If this guy were a CTO or something sure. He was chief diversity officer though, there's gotta be a higher standard there.

True, but then again this was 14 years ago. People can change.

Steve jobs had just launched the first iPhone when he made that blog post. That feels like a life time ago.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#132

The left’s obsession with cancel culture and conducting archeological digs on past comments, tweets, etc is coming back to bite them. I think removing this guy was the right thing to do, BUT I also think a major company like Google needs to set an example: Something someone tweeted more than ten years ago should no longer be relevant and should be ignored. However until that standard is set as example by a major comp…

Google is not threatened by "cancel culture". What are people going to do? Get them banned on Twitter? Won't happen, and that's the extent of the possible damage.

Google does this because someone in the corp didn't like what this guy said, and canned them. People do that because they have beliefs. In the U.S. firing people, protesting, and overall underhanded methods are also a Hallmark of "the right" whenever someone does something they don't agree with. Or have we forgotten that the overwhelming majority of day to day business isn't conducted on Twitter?

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#133
post #37

Slightly shocking that he didn't get fired. (yet?) They fired Damore for writing an email that was tone-deaf, insensitive, but largely supported by research. Bobb goes on a clearly antisemitic rant, and just gets reassigned. Is Google inconsistent, or has their policy on how to deal with these things changed over the past few years?

>Is Google inconsistent, or has their policy on how to deal with these things changed over the past few years? Simple explanation is Google's Democrat-leaning leadership are more aligned with Bobb than Damore (in the US, the left are generally anti-Israel while the right support it, and the left are pro-affirmative-action while the right oppose it).

This is the correct answer. The amount of anti-semitism shown during this recent Hamas Israel conflict in the woke left has been very worrying. We are likely to see a big resurgence of anti-semitism in the next period. It's more and more socially acceptable on the left.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#134
post #51

For anyone who is interested, the actual blog post on his website was deleted. It's available on the Way Back Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20210601160519/https://www.kamau...

Thanks for linking that. It puts the issue in perspective. To be honest, I'm amazed that a blog post like that can make someone lose his job as a "head of diversity." Apparently, diversity at Google means that people should never voice critical opinions about the Israeli government, not even privately.

For me, the lesson to learn from this is that to never apply for a job in the US or for a job for a large US company. That's easy for me to say, though, since I'm working as a philosopher in academia and these are not wanted or needed in corporations anyway.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#135
post #22

Here is a classic case of someone conflating the state of Israel and Jewish people and lumping it all together. Plenty of Jewish people that live both inside and outside of Israel are critical of the state. People can be critical of the state of Israel, but they should not be antisemitic. His comments are offensive for this reason.

Being Jewish is also multi-tiered because it's associated with both a religion and an ethnicity. I'd love to popularize being thought of Ashkenazi and not Jewish. I don't have a familial bond with Israel for probably 17 centuries and I don't really care if I ever did. My culture is more strongly associated with Eastern Europe and we were run out of town on a rail 100 years ago.

If you were your ancestors who were "run out of town on a rail" you would care very, very deeply about your familial bond to Israel. Like yours, my family was run out of town. Unlike yours, many in my family did not run fast enough. If only there was a place they could run to either as first resort or when quota had been reached in other places. If only there was a place that could make running a specific people out of town a very costly pursuit for those who were making those people run.

Israel is and will always remain the eternal Homeland of the Jewish people. Am Yisrael Chai.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#136

Here is a classic case of someone conflating the state of Israel and Jewish people and lumping it all together. Plenty of Jewish people that live both inside and outside of Israel are critical of the state. People can be critical of the state of Israel, but they should not be antisemitic. His comments are offensive for this reason.

I am sorry to point that out, but this argument is true about almost anything.

Most russians have nothing to do with putin's regime and it's hackers. Those hackers' nationality may not even be russian. Yet, "russian hackers".

There are scientists deeply upset with state of official science, indians disagreeing with what fellow indians do, and so on.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#137

The left’s obsession with cancel culture and conducting archeological digs on past comments, tweets, etc is coming back to bite them. I think removing this guy was the right thing to do, BUT I also think a major company like Google needs to set an example: Something someone tweeted more than ten years ago should no longer be relevant and should be ignored. However until that standard is set as example by a major comp…

If this guy were a CTO or something sure. He was chief diversity officer though, there's gotta be a higher standard there.

How far is it OK and relevant to look back for dirt in someone's posting history? 20 years? 30? Rants to their college newspaper? High school yearbook? Today's sensitivity yardstick is much less forgiving than it was in decades past. It's getting to the point where it is safest to just not participate at all, in case something you say today becomes taboo in 30 years.

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#138
post #51

For anyone who is interested, the actual blog post on his website was deleted. It's available on the Way Back Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20210601160519/https://www.kamau...

still not fired from google. if this post was “if i were black” and anyone not black wrote it they would be fired

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#139
post #12

This is the only instance relating to offensive social media I've ever heard of where someone got reassigned and not fired

Examples of people getting reassigned and not fired: https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2018/12/20/orlando-officer... https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/assistant-principal-at-... https://www.wgvunews.org/post/black-detroit-police-officer-r... https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Waco-ISD-hires-teacher-who... https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/16/sheriffs-chief-of-sta...

Ahh the power of unions

Re: Google removes its head of diversity after 2007 blog post surfaces

#140
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You must be on a different social media outlet than I am.

You are in a tread this very moment that shows proof of his opinion.

In what way? Most people here seem to agree that it is perfectly possible to criticize Israel without being anti-semitic.
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